Jose Mourinho opens up on only time in his coaching career when he cried after a defeat

Jose Mourinho has managed over 1,000 games in his managerial career to date, but the self-proclaimed 'Special One' has only cried once after a defeat.

The 61-year-old, who who is currently out of work after being relieved of his duties at AS Roma, is renowned for his impressive trophy cabinet following successful spells at Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

At the Bernabeu, he boasted a win percentage of 71.9% over a three-year stint that featured 128 wins, 28 draws and 22 defeats.

Three of those defeats came in the semi-final stages of the Champions League.

In fact, after Madrid lost to Bayern Munich in 2012 following a dramatic penalty shoot-out that included a rare spot-kick miss from Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese manager was overcome with emotion.

Speaking to Spanish news outlet Marca, Mourinho admitted the cruel defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals that year made him cry.

He said: “Unfortunately, that's football. Cristiano, Kaka, Sergio Ramos... three complete monsters of football, there's no doubt about that, but they're also human.

“That night is the only time in my career as a coach that I've cried after a defeat. I remember it well...

“Aitor [Karanka] and I pulled up in front of my house, in the car, crying. It was very hard because we were the best that season.”

Image credit: Getty

Image credit: Getty

Mourinho later revealed to Portuguese TV channel Sic that the defeat to Bayern was the saddest moment of his career.

“If I have to choose the worst moment, it's that elimination with Real Madrid," he said.

“We were the best team in Europe, without a doubt, we won La Liga smashing all the records for points and goals and we would've won that final, I don't have any doubt.

“What was most cruel for me was that in the shoot-out we chose Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Sergio Ramos, they were dead certs from the penalty spot and the guys who missed were those who never miss, it sunk me.”

Topics: Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid, Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bayern Munich

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

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